Columns

For years, it felt like Dad and I were polar opposites of each other, despite sharing the same first and last name and some of the same DNA. He’s always been an outgoing and boisterous person, ready to lead anybody into singing Frank Sinatra, coaching county-champion baseball and basketball teams,…

I never thought a diagnosis could bring me comfort after our daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at 3 weeks old, which shattered me. But that is exactly what happened when our son, Connor, was recently diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at the age of 6.

For all the love I have for “Star Wars,” I could never get around to liking C-3PO. “Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!” the golden droid complained in “The Empire Strikes Back” as Han Solo’s ship, the Millennium Falcon, weaved…

“You don’t sound so good!” my dad says to the family Shih Tzu, Jasper. And my dad’s right: The little dude (as we affectionately call him) doesn’t sound great. “He’s been coughing on and off for a while now,” my mom chimes in. But for the past few…

Living with a terminal illness such as cystic fibrosis (CF) can leave one asking questions like, “How would my life be different if my cystic fibrosis were cured?” Many of us would love to be cured of CF, but it’s difficult to approach the idea of what life would…

The release of the movie “Five Feet Apart” was being publicized during my pregnancy with our second child, Claire, who we’d just learned would potentially inherit cystic fibrosis (CF). I’d never heard of the disease until around the time of publicity blasts for the film. Suddenly, I was…

As a new columnist for Cystic Fibrosis News Today, I welcome you to “Living Beyond.” I come from a time when the life expectancy for someone born with cystic fibrosis (CF) was around 11 years. At that time, the only medicines prescribed to treat CF…

Throughout my journey with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a double-lung transplant, I’ve learned a thing or two about how medical trauma can affect mental and physical health. It’s been essential for me to realize that healing is a marathon, not a sprint, and that I need to be…

I am not comfortable peeling back the curtain and letting people see in person what my life is like with cystic fibrosis (CF). I know I write about some aspects of my life with CF, but the audience gets to move on after reading while I must continue…

“You’re such an inspiration!” the customer across from me said. I was standing behind the mosaic counter of the art gallery where I volunteered during my teenage years. Hearing this person call me inspiring made my stomach turn. I’ve always hated being called that. My mom, who is the president…